


You're Home... You're My Home

by flyingorfalling



Series: Moments [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 03:24:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15787956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingorfalling/pseuds/flyingorfalling
Summary: Ages ago, I read a post on Tumblr (more than one actually) about Tony not making it back to Pepper for years, so my head started spinning and this came to be. I have mixed feelings, 'cause it feels slightly out of character, but it took me forever to write and I didn't want to let it go to waste. I hope you don't care what happened with Tony up in space, because I certainly didn't...





	You're Home... You're My Home

**Author's Note:**

> There's **minor smut** at the end of it.

She waited by the phone, waited for reality to call and tell her it was all a dream. Just minutes ago she had picked it up and heard his voice, as clear as the night sky outside, until a sob broke into it when he failed to hold himself together. She hadn’t heard that voice in five years, had almost forgotten how it sounded in reality. She had messages to remember it by; old sound recordings of him, and God knew she had listened to them every single day since he had said his very last words to her. Was he really back now?

Pepper curled up on the couch in a fetal position covering her face with both her hands. She was still crying, mumbling to herself, as she tried to tell herself that the words echoing in her mind were actually his and not just a voice talking in her head. ‘I’ll see you soon,‘ he’d said, and she really wanted to believe that, but she had lost all hope. She had lost it years ago. She didn’t dare to hope anymore, to even _think_ that Tony could come back, because of how much it hurt to realize that he never would.

Her entire body heaved with sobs, as she tucked one of the pillows into her arms, trying to hold on to something that was actually real, as she wept from the pain of this empty space inside her. Pepper had tried to never let that dark beast of depression breathe down her loved ones’ necks, had taken medication to cope with her loss, but there were moments where she lost all defense, with no more strength left in her body to fight. And this was one of these moments. _One_ phone call and she was back in that dark, cold place where the only light was he—and he was out of reach.

She heard the door open, heard his voice calling out her name, and she let go of the pillow and wrapped her arms around her knees then rocked back and forth. “This isn’t real... It’s not... real,” she sobbed, hugging her knees tighter. “You’re not real!” Her voice swelled louder. “Go away!”

“I’ve waited five goddamn years for this...” Pepper immersed her face deeper into the space between her legs and pressed her eyelids harder together. His voice had never quite sounded that way before; like he was really there. “The only way I go,” he continued, “is down that aisle to marry you.” She felt him touching her, a hand on her arm, and she dared to open her eyes. That’s when she saw him—her Tony. He smiled at her, his whole face glowing with love, as he whispered, “Hello, beautiful!”

His voice was so soft Pepper couldn’t be sure it existed outside of her head, but his face, his face was right in front of her. And he looked at her with those chocolate brown eyes that she never thought to see again. His hair was varying shades of gray mixed with brown and she saw lines around his eyes and lips that she had never seen before. He had that same goatee, that same cleft in his chin. He looked older, his face scarred from battle, but even after all this time, Tony still looked exactly like the man she knew; like the man she‘d seen in her dreams almost every night. Only this wasn’t a dream. She could feel his breath on her skin, like she could feel the pain inside her. It was real.

“You don’t get rid of me that easy,” he said, smirking lightly.

Pepper’s lips quivered before she crumbled, and Tony quickly slipped his arms around her. She trembled against him and pressed her face against his chest while she grabbed onto his shirt with shaking hands. She sobbed, bursting violently into tears. He ran his hands through the tangled mass of Pepper’s hair and sighed with pleasure as if he had been waiting forever to do just that. A gush of tears exploded from his eyes and while his trembling arms blanketed her body he cried with her. The tight embrace made his wound ache, the one that still hadn’t healed, but the pain meant nothing if he could only hold her.

They cried together for several long minutes, holding each other like the broken and fragile beings they felt; like it were the last time they would hold each other, not the first time after years. They just held each other and wept, as if afraid to let go, because they could be taken from each other again.

“I’ve missed you so much.” Tony’s words came in the sound of a low sob, as he cried into her hair.

Pepper let out a choked gasp and drew a deep breath in an attempt to speak—it was an impossible thing for her to do. When Tony started to pull away from her, she wanted to hug him tighter, but was too weak to even try. Tony’s mouth claimed ownership of hers. He wanted to sink into her and never surface. They shared a deep, lingering kiss. It lasted an eternity and yet, it was over all too soon. But he kissed her again, and again, and again... He kissed her mouth, her eyes, her neck. He kissed every part of her face that he could reach. Breathing in her scent, he sighed into that soft place just above her collarbone. His tears wetted her skin, and he kissed them away. Then Tony cupped her cheeks, kissing her lips once more.

Pepper cradled his face and ran her thumbs along his bottom eyelids, drying them if he were a child. Her fingers trailed down to his mouth, her thumbs running across his lips. She couldn’t believe she was really touching him. So many times had she dreamt about him coming back home, and so many times had she woken up to an empty bedside and started crying, because he was still gone. And now she was holding his warm face in her cold hands, as she looked deep into his tear-filled eyes. Eyes that held nothing in secret but revealed everything, every emotion, every word he wanted to say. Eyes, which invited her to his heart where she could see all the love Tony still had for her. His eyes were a well in which she drowned herself.

Turning his face within her gentle hold, he pressed his mouth against the palm of one hand and then the other. The warm sensation of his touch exploded through Pepper’s veins to fill her heart and brought color back into her soul. Every part inside of her that had been dark and cold lit up like a shooting star. Gone were the days of waking up with a heavy weight, making itself at home just between her lungs, knowing he was still missing in her life. Pepper had finally found the missing piece. Tony wasn’t dead. He was right there, alive and well—as well as he could be considering everything that had happened.

“I–I thought you were...” A sob stole the rest of her words. Impulsively she reached for him and pulled him close again, digging her nails deep into his back as she clung to him.

Tony felt the warmth of her body burn into him, and he welcomed it. He held her tight, kissing her hair, and smiled through his own tears as relief and need and a hundred other emotions barreled through him. He had dreamt of being reunited with her every day for the last five years, and now that he finally was, it was nothing like he had imagined. It felt like he’d been shattered like broken glass, and with each second that passed, in which he got to hold her, he was put back together piece by piece. The moment he had lost her, his heart had forgotten how to beat, a flat line strolling across the screen signifying the end of him. But now it remembered, because she was his lifeline. She was the melody of his heart. His beloved Pepper Potts.

Tony took her face in his hands and held her gaze. “I never want us to be apart again, Pepper.” There was determination in his voice, though he didn’t speak very loud. “The world can save itself. I’m done.” Kissing her tears away, he kept whispering as he said, “You hear me, honey? I’m done.” He pecked her lips and she closed her eyes, focusing only on his touch and his voice. “ _You_ are my world now,” he declared emotionally and kissed the side of her face as new tears spilled from beneath her shut lids.

Pepper opened her eyes and hit him with a one-two punch of those gorgeous blues, drenched and glazed over. She choked back a sob and took some deep breaths to compose herself. “Tony... there’s something you need to know,” she whispered.

“What?” he asked, suddenly feeling alarmed. Tony eased back and lifted her chin with his knuckle, swallowing hard. “Are you okay? What is it, Pepper? Tell me!”

As if on cue, a small, sleepy figure in a pair of Spider-Man pajamas stumbled through the door, his Iron Man doll dangling head down from one hand. The little boy blinked a few times, yawning. Then he went over to them, and Tony just stared in shock at the toddler, who was a replica of himself, right down to the crinkles around his chocolate brown eyes. He was a beautiful boy, with curly hair, long eyelashes and full lips.

Pepper rubbed the tears from her eyes, quickly launching herself off the couch. She glanced at Tony, who was still staring at the kid, as if he were a ghost. This wasn’t how she had wanted her son to meet his father, but at least he still _had_ a father to meet. She couldn’t even put into words how much that meant to her. She had never stopped telling her son stories about Tony, hoping her little boy would have a vivid image of his dad to hold on to while he grew up to be someone his father would be proud of. Now she would see him actually getting to know his dad, and that fact almost made her cry again.

“Look who’s home, baby.” Pepper’s voice wobbled with emotion and her eyes glistened with tears. “Daddy finally came home.”

She stared back at Tony whose eyes were wide with shock, as he stood frozen in place. He looked completely freaked out. His gaze rested as heavy as lead armor on the child that was his son and it seemed that he had lost the ability to speak or even make a sound. Pepper had kind of expected that reaction. What she didn’t expect, though, was for her son to throw himself against Tony without hesitation. Sure, she knew that boy didn’t have any fear when it came to meeting strangers, but never before had he done anything like this; not with so much passion. He didn’t even care about his doll—so precious to him that he took it everywhere he went—and just let it drop, using both hands to cling to Tony’s legs.

Tony took one long look at Pepper, as he tried to grasp the reality of the situation, but when he felt the boy’s arms around his legs, it was as if a button had been pushed. Tears immediately flooded within his eyes and quickly started rolling down his cheeks. Tony dropped to his knees with a sob and folded his arms around the toddler. He folded his body over his son like a human shield meant to protect him. He had dreamt about having a kid. It had felt so real—he had told her. But this, this was _actually_ real. It had to be real, because he could _smell_ him. The scent of his son was inside him, clung to his guts and bones, embedding itself in his mind. His child was breathing. He could _feel_ his breath on his skin as it moved in and out of his small body.

He didn't want to let go of his son, but the kid didn't seem to want to let go of him either. His arms were tight around Tony’s neck and his body pressed into his ribs. Tony cradled him in his arms, battling back the resentment he felt for the time the people in his life had spent with his child that he hadn't—Pepper, Happy, Rhodey... Everyone. They all knew his son better than he did. Tony wanted to know every detail of the last five years. No, he _had_ to know. Because it was so hard and painful having to realize that he didn't even know the most mundane things, like at what time his son usually went to bed or what he craved for breakfast.

"I knew you would come back," the boy whispered into his shoulder and released himself from the hug. He placed his fingers softly on Tony’s cheeks—tentatively, as if to make sure he was really there—and Tony swallowed hard upon realizing how much of his mother’s gentleness the child had within him.

Thinking of how alone Pepper had been, raising the boy, pierced his core so deeply that even more tears erupted over from Tony’s eyes. He had never meant to put this heavy burden of responsibility on her when he’d left, but how could he have known? He couldn’t. Because it was pretty obvious that both of them hadn’t known about her pregnancy when they’d had that conversation in the park. It didn’t stop him from feeling sorry, though. She should’ve never had to go through that alone.

Tony shivered when his son’s small fingers stroked gently over his skin. He stared at him and his son stared back. He brushed away his father’s tears with his little thumb, and Tony couldn’t help but smile at him when he said, “Don’t cry. You’re home.”

Tony reached out and smoothed a strand of hair away from his eyes, still completely overwhelmed by the fact it was the face of his child he was looking at. "It's okay... I'm just really happy." Hesitating at first, he leaned forward and kissed his son’s forehead, closing his eyes.

Pepper was surprised how quickly her boy had adjusted to the fact that his father had shown up at the house in the middle of the night all of a sudden, like he had been gone only for a day. But because she and her son had talked about Tony every day—he loved talking about his dad—she figured the boy had always felt like he knew him. He was no stranger to him, he was his father. And the little boy clung to him as if Tony had been in his life forever.

It had been the right thing to let him ask questions about his dad and tell him everything he wanted to know. She knew that now. It had hurt so much at first that she had basically _begged_ him to stop whenever he’d brought up Tony. But seeing how close he felt to a man he didn’t even know—the man, who was his father—made her heart melt.

Looking at them, Pepper could tell they had already formed a strong emotional bond that couldn’t be broken by anyone. The tenderness between them moved her to tears and she tried to let them have this moment to themselves, but all she really wanted was to join that hug and feel the touch of both her men. She didn’t want to go back to bed, to wake up, because what if she was dreaming all of this after all? She had stopped believing that Tony would ever return, had even arranged a funeral for him in the vain hope of getting closure, and now that he was back, all Pepper could think about was that he might be taken from her again. That this wasn’t real, even if it felt like it was.

Tony smiled, sniffing back tears, as he picked up the Iron Man doll from the floor and handed it to him. “I believe this belongs to you, um...” He paused, his eyes searching for an answer in Pepper’s face.

“Morgan,” she whispered, wiping away the tear that fell. “His name is... Morgan... Morgan Anthony Stark-Potts.”

Tony looked at her, then at the kid, and back at Pepper. “Pep, I...”

He let out a deep breath. Words seemed to be frozen on his tongue. His eyes burned from the endless tears that never seemed to stop. He couldn't have controlled his emotions if his life had depended on it. Tony looked at him—his son, Morgan, who was holding the Iron Man doll close to his chest—and wondered how it was even possible to love someone so much after such a short time. This must be love at first sight, he thought. He loved him. He loved him with all his heart, knowing nothing about him but his name and age, and Tony couldn't even imagine how much more he would love him if he learned what kind of person he was. God, he knew nothing about being a dad. That really freaked him out. But he would try to be the best father this child could have.

“Do you want to see my room?” the boy asked shyly, thinking of it as a distraction to cheer Tony up, because he obviously could use that.

“Sweetie...” Pepper sighed. “It’s the middle of the night. You need to go back to bed.” Morgan shook his head. “Please, honey... Don’t make mama mad.”

“Okay,” he caved in, sighing.

“Thank you,” she said, kissing the top of his head. “I love you.

Morgan turned on his heel and left the room without saying another word, without saying goodnight. He was seemingly a bit frustrated, probably disappointed, about not getting to spend more time with his father at least that was what Pepper assumed.

“I’m sorry, Tony,” Pepper apologized. “I know it didn’t… look that way... but I think this is a too much for him to handle.” She let out a long sigh. “I’m not even sure he’s gonna remember it when he wakes up. He’s been... I–I mean _, we_ have been...”

“What just happened? Did I... Did I dream this?” Tony lowered himself to the couch, burying his face in his hands. He fell silent, said nothing for over a minute, only drawing those deep sighs; until Pepper settled herself on the couch beside him. “Is this real... or am I dreaming again?” Tilting his head, Tony stared at her. Then he gave a desperate cry for an end to his confusion, “Pinch me!”

“I’m not gonna—“

“Damn it, Pepper! Pinch me!” Tony nearly screamed it, his voice going harsh in a way it normally didn’t with her.

Pepper’s head snapped up at the tone in his voice, looking more than a little startled. “Fine,” she said, pinching him. She pinched him so hard and so long that Tony roared like a bull when he winced in pain. Throwing a look of reproach at her, he rubbed his aching arm. “What?” she snarled. “You told me to do it.”  
  
“Uh, yeah,” he growled. “But you didn’t have to do it so _hard_.”  
  
“You’re not dreaming, Tony.” Her voice instantly turned soft again. “I didn’t know I was... I mean, after you... I found out... I was... pregnant and...“ As memories coursed through her mind, her emotions were beginning to get the better of her. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, trying to get the upper hand. Then Pepper looked at him again. “I wish we—“

“He doesn’t even know me,” Tony cut her off, only slowly coming out of shock. “And he hugged me. He hugged me, Pepper. He... hugged me... like he... like I’m...”

“He knows you,” she said, as she wrapped her palm around his cheek, cradling his face. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, letting his emotions peak and swell like a storm on the sea. “He knows all about you.” Her words came out in a whisper, so soft it made Tony sigh. “And he loves you, Tony. He loves you so much.” Her voice broke and suddenly Pepper couldn’t make another sound. Curving her other palm around his cheek, she leaned forward and kissed him, long and deeply.

“Marry me,” he whispered, breaking the kiss. He slowly opened his eyes, looking right into hers. “Tomorrow.”

“What?”

Hypnotic brown eyes stared at her, holding her gaze captive as if by physical force. “I don’t wanna wait another day to marry you, Pepper. I’m serious. Let’s get married!” The look on his face was completely disarming and made Pepper go weak at the knees. “Will you please... please... give me the joy of becoming your husband?” A smile grew on his lips. It was soft and sweet, and incredibly beautiful.

“Of course I will," Pepper answered after a moment of silence. “I’d say yes to you over and over again.”

Her laughter immediately bubbled over. Soft and gentle, yet so expressive, it made Tony think, this must be the sound angels made when they strummed a chord on their harps. He silenced her laugh with a kiss. He couldn’t get enough of her lips, losing himself in the familiar touch and taste of her, finding in her the sanctuary he so desperately needed right now. Nothing else seemed to matter anymore. Nothing else but her.

Speaking quietly against her lips, he told her, “There's a church waiting for us tomorrow afternoon… and a priest... so you better go and buy a dress... unless you prefer to be naked." When Pepper looked at him confused, Tony leered at her. “Not that I'd mind,” he added.

“Wait... What do you mean there’s a church and a–a priest?" she asked in astonishment. “That sounds like you... When did you plan all this? I thought you _just_ got back?”

“Oh, honey, I may have been gone for half a decade, but I’m still wildly popular,” he quipped. “And you of all people should know there are only very few things Tony Stark doesn’t get... Like, um, the memo that I have a five-year old kid waiting for me at home. No offense.” A chuckle could be heard in his throat. “Turns out some people would _die_ to arrange a wedding for me, so that was easy... and actually the first thing I did even before I called you. I’m sorry.”

Pepper put her arms around Tony’s neck and stared at him long, hard and tight-lipped. “How did you know I was gonna agree to this?" she wondered—there was no way she could have ever said no.

"I just knew.” One of his hands reached up to comb through her hair while his other rested at her waist. "The same way I knew I’d come back... See you again."

“You couldn’t have known that,” she said quietly, holding on tight, as if he could disappear if she didn’t.

“I couldn’t... And on some days, I didn’t... actually... But I needed to have something to hold on to... To, you know, make it through...” Tony put a strand of her hair behind her ear. “And you, Miss Potts, were my only thought.“

“You’re really here, aren’t you?” she whispered, closing her eyes.

Pepper focused on the feel of him. Tony’s hair—soft and silky where it made contact with her flesh. His skin—like satin over steel. His breath—a warm caress against her face. His scent—divine, and doing something to womanly parts of her that had been deadened to a man’s touch after she’d lost him.

“Does that,” Tony kissed her, “feel like I’m not?” His voice was smooth like rolling waves.

As his lips played over hers like skilled fingers over a harp, he slipped a hand underneath her shirt. Pepper’s entire body became flushed as his warm palm covered the small of her back. He slowly lifted her sleeping shirt, his fingers scrabbling about on her bare flesh like spiders. Tony’s kiss turned hard, possessive. She moaned against his mouth, her back arching as his hands slid up over her ribs to palm her breasts. He pushed her shirt further up, bent to kiss her nipple, drawing it deep into his mouth. It made her drag in a sharp breath.

“Tony, I haven’t...”

She shivered and trembled beneath his touch, hands shaking as she grabbed his shirt, and he instantly noticed the hesitation. Letting go of her breast, Tony looked at her. Not confused but rather concerned. She stared back at him, eyes filled with emotion and desire.

“It’s been... five years,” she said, her voice low, as if she were embarrassed to admit it.

“No one… In five years?”

“You seem surprised.”

“I’m not,” he countered. “Seriously, I’m not, Pepper. I just assumed that maybe... you...” Tony struggled to find words to help him escape from the tense atmosphere he‘d created with his loose tongue. “Would’ve tried… to...” Giving up, he sighed. “I know you’re not like that, Pep. I’m—”

“It’s what Rhodey wanted,” Pepper started explaining. “And Happy... They didn’t want me to be alone, so when Morgan was about two years old, they begged me to try—“

“Dating?”

“Moving on,” she replied.

The forced smile that he gave her looked frozen on his face, as his thumb pressed the corner of her eye, crushing an imaginary tear. “That didn’t go too well, huh?”

“It didn’t go _anywhere_ ,” she said, feeling her emotions overflow. “I had a nervous breakdown on my first date with another man and then I woke up to find my own face plastered all over the front pages of the tabloids. So, I stopped. I didn’t want my son having to deal with his mother being called… a nutcase. It was fine, as long as I was doing business, but my personal life… None of it was private. Not anymore… Every day people kept asking me about you or about our kid... and then, of course, judging me, because someone snapped a photo of me smiling. Saying, you know, how can Pepper Potts be happy when the world’s still mourning the loss of her fiancé?” she quoted, scoffing. “I was just trying to move on and… and they were all going crazy, Tony... For almost _three_ years. I had to take Morgan to Europe for a while just so we could have some normalcy.”

Tony felt her pain inside himself until anger curled in his stomach like a clenched fist. Anger for what had been done to her while he was gone. _Because_ he had been gone. “I’m so sorry, Pepper. I’m sorry you had to go through that.” Despite the coldness hitting her heart, as she was reliving the past, she tried to smile. “Are you still hurting?” he asked, worried.

“You’re here now,” she answered, smiling happily now. “The only thing that may hurt… is not remembering what it feels like… when you make love to me.”

“I’d be happy to remind you,” he whispered, his heart aching with love as he watched her.

Pepper raised her arms above her head, keeping them still while her gaze rested on him, as she waited for him to get the hint. Tony smiled sweetly and slowly pulled her shirt over her head, leaving her clad in nothing but a scanty pair of underwear. He dropped her back to the couch and his eyes roamed over her. Pepper’s fingers skimmed his back to his butt cupped by tight denims. His hands reached to his front then, so he could unbutton his jeans and tug them down over his hips in a swift move. She squirmed against him, causing his body to respond by going hard as stone. His ears pounded with the sound of his blood roaring.

“I don’t know if I can go slow,” Tony rasped against her throat as his lips ravished her there. He had missed her so much, it seemed impossible for him to take a little detour now and go down the foreplay path.

“Then don’t,” Pepper said, panting out her words.

Tony’s wet kisses trailed down her body, as she moaned and whined. He pulled her panties off her legs, taking his own clothes off in the process, and then with a long, heartfelt groan of relief he plunged into her, gently, carefully, invading her more with each thrust of his hips. He felt huge inside her, a stranger almost, but the fact that he did, only made Pepper rock harder against him, urging him deeper. She released a hiss of pleasure from her lungs, her mouth gasping his name. Tony’s gaze held hers as he moved in and out of her, one long thrust after another, both wanting to see the feeling of being so intimately linked—years after their last encounter—reflected in their eyes.

“Does this still feel like a dream?” he asked her, amazed that he could even form words in the face of such wonderful sensations.

Pepper nodded lightly and her eyes filled with tears, as she cupped his cheeks with both hands, holding on to that face she completely adored. “Please don’t make me wake up.” Her words came out in a ragged whisper, hoarse with emotion.

He halted, holding himself steady above her, still enveloped in that moist softness. He nuzzled into her palm like a kitten seeking a warm place to curl up. “I could stay like this forever,” he let out softly, and the warmth of complete happiness tore a chuckle from his throat.

“I love you,” Pepper whispered, “Thank you for coming back to me.” Her voice cracked under the weight of her emotions and she had to stifle a sob.

“I’ll always come back to you,” Tony told her, as he sunk back into her, losing himself in her wet heat, losing himself in the depths of her eyes. “You’re my home.”


End file.
